Lightsource
by tsutsuji
Summary: Merry and Sam reflect on Frodo's quality of light. A vignette from the journey home.


Title: Lightsource.

Author: Tsutsuji

Fandom: Lord of the Rings

Characters: Frodo, Sam, Merry.

Genre: Vignette.

Warning: None.

Status: one shot, complete

Disclaimer: I don't own the copyright or license to these characters, I'm making no money from this fic, and intend no copyright infringement or any disrespect to the characters.

Summary: Vignette focusing on Frodo, as Merry and Sam reflect on their dear friend during the journey home. Just one of those little moments Professor Tolkien didn't happen to tell us about.

Posted in honor of my finally getting to see the Return of the King Extended Edition.

This is not slash, although it was originally written as part of the Merry/Frodo series I intend to write someday.

It's a leisurely walk back up the long valley, toward the north and Rivendell. The mountains to the east don't seem so menacing now, and the air is fresh and warm, and they walk in daylight without fear. The small group is quiet and thoughtful after the Elves leave them, but the hobbits often talk amongst themselves as they walk along, talking of simple things and telling old jokes and singing old walking songs, as they used to do.

Frodo often sleeps a bit later than the others, and they let him. Sam knows that he is sometimes awake late at night. And they know he feels fine in general, but sometimes he gets tired more easily than the rest, though he never says anything. In fact, he doesn't even seem to notice it himself.

Morning light hits the mountaintops and then spreads out across the land around them. The others are up and around, quietly getting breakfast ready, and Frodo is still asleep a little ways off. Merry notices Sam isn't with the rest making breakfast, and looks over to see him sitting, still partly wrapped in his blankets, looking down at Frodo. A little worried, he goes over quietly and waits a moment to see if Sam's just getting ready to wake Frodo. But he's just watching, and Merry comes over and stands just behind him, and realizes what he's looking at. He kneels down next to Sam.

"Anything wrong, Sam?" he asks very softly.

Sam shakes his head, still watching Frodo. Light reflected off the hills around them seems to be shining down right where Frodo is lying.

"Can you see it, Master Merry? The light, I mean. I notice it more and more these days."

Merry takes a closer look, and realizes at once what Sam's talking about. He's noticed it before, though he never really thought of it in just this way. He just thought it was part of Frodo's particular beauty, which he's seen and loved but kept quiet in his heart, like a secret joy.

"It's always been there, Sam," he says quietly. "It just shines out more now, somehow, doesn't it?" he adds thoughtfully. It's like Frodo's been worn so thin that there's nothing left to keep the light from shining through now, he thinks, and then wonders at the thought.

"You're right, it has, though I don't know as I really saw it until we were on the journey. It never went out, quite, not even in that land of Shadow. Except that one time. Then it wasn't like this; it was all like red fire and black smoke. Twasn't right at all. But then the real light came back."

Merry feels an old pain in his heart, the same clench of fear he'd felt when he'd thought he might never see that light in Frodo again. After his joy when the Eagles found them, that fear returned as slowly dawning horror when he'd pieced together what must have happened at the end of the Quest. He's glad he didn't have to see what Sam saw, that fire and smoke, and he wishes Sam didn't have to remember it. He squeezes Sam's shoulder and says nothing.

Sam turns to him after a moment, his eyes shining, and takes a long look at him.

"You've got a bit of it yourself, Mr. Merry, if you don't mind my saying so," Sam says. "That same light."

Merry shakes his head, doubting this is true.

"Yes, you do indeed," Sam insists. "Maybe it comes out from being so close under that Shadow as you both were," he adds.

"I don't know," Merry says. "Maybe we all just reflect a bit of his light," he adds, looking down at Frodo again.

"That could be" Sam agrees softly.

Frodo stirs a moment later. Sam and Merry make sure he doesn't realize they've been staring at him all that time, instead joking that he was going to miss breakfast.

"You must have been having a pleasant dream to stay asleep so long as to miss a meal," Merry chides him with a smile.

"I think I was," Frodo says, rising and stretching. He looks up at the sun on the hills above the wide dell they've camped in. "I think I was sitting by a fireside, reading a book, with all my dear friends all around, having a good long talk as we used to do." His gaze lifts to look up the long road toward Rivendell and the Shire. "I can't wait to get home," he says softly.

-the end-


End file.
